1. Technical Field
This disclosure relates generally to identification wristbands and, more particularly, to temporary identification wristbands used in a hospital or medical setting.
2. Description of the Related Art
Identification wristbands are used in many situations where a person requires short-term identification. For example, such identification wristbands may be used at meetings, hotels and resorts, concerts, transportation scenarios and, more typically, patients in hospitals or other institutions. In a hospital or medical setting, proper identification is particularly important as it prevents patients from receiving the wrong medication or wrong medical procedure. Identifying wristbands also allow hospitals to track the usage of hospital facilities by a patient for billing purposes.
Hospital and medical environments place substantial demands on patient identification wristbands. Specifically, the wristbands need to be produced where they are used, specifically at nursing stations or at admission stations. The wristbands also may need to include a photograph of the patient or, more particularly, barcodes both of which require high resolution to be useful. The wristbands also must be resistant to water and other common solvents. The wristbands also must be comfortable, sanitary and strong enough to withstand deliberate attempts by a patient to remove the wristband. Such wristbands must also be easy for medical personnel to make and apply.
Some currently available hospital identification wristbands include a paper strip encapsulated in a transparent film to render the strip tear resistant and water resistant. However, the use of film sleeves or adhesive backed films are often difficult for hospital personnel to use. Further, the plastic sleeve or film layer may include gaps or bubbles if not properly assembled thereby enabling the paper strip to be destroyed when the wristband is immersed in water. If barcodes are utilized, the paper strip must be printed using the laser printer as wicking of water-based inks of inkjet printers may render the barcodes unreadable.
Other hospital identification wristbands are multiple-part and include a top “window” layer that is attachable to the primary band or strip. A label providing patient indicia can be placed under the top window layer. However, the current designs are cumbersome to use. When provided as long, thin, single strips, wristbands are difficult to store because a stack of them will easily fall over. A stack of 50 wristbands is also tall and difficult to contain in a typical work station. Further, when a long thin wristband is furnished as a single strip, it is difficult to grasp, manipulate, and use due to its awkward size.
There are also times where multiple wristbands need to be associated with each other. An example is in the maternity area, where a father, mother, and baby or multiple babies will all need a wristband. Currently, there is no convenient method for printing groups of wristbands at a work station. Accordingly, improved identification wristbands are needed that overcome the difficulties associated with the prior art identification wristbands described above.